John Nash Column - Wilton's Charlotte Noels breaks a tradition in hopes of making a tradition

Published 7:00 pm, Wednesday, May 1, 2013

WILTON -- It takes a lot of courage to set aside tradition, but Wilton High School junior Charlotte Noels knew in her heart it was the right thing to do.

Especially because she believed she could help start a new tradition within the Warriors girls lacrosse program, and watch it grow and prosper.

That is why Noels -- known affectionately as "Char" to her coaches and teammates -- also shows plenty of courage and heart to dream bigger than just herself and the short road that lies ahead.

It's also why those in the Fairfield County lacrosse community should embrace Noels' idea and try to "Beat Cancer With a Stick."

On Tuesday at Kristine Lilly Field, Wilton squared off against Staples in a girls lacrosse game. The game was included as part of a fundraiser Noels had organized and dubbed "Beat Cancer With A Stick."

"I wanted to raise money for cancer -- not a certain kind of cancer, just for the cause in general," said Noels, moments after Wilton defeated Staples, 14-5. "I contacted Eli Goldstein at the National Foundation for Cancer Research and he was excited because they really haven't had anybody do something like this with lacrosse. He was excited and thought it was an awesome idea."

The team had a bake sale earlier this season and, at Goldstein's suggestion, then pointed to the Staples game as the match-up they would dedicate to the battle against cancer.

The Wreckers also got on board and both teams took the field wearing pink in their hair, either ribbons or head bands, during the game.

The biggest stunner, however, was the fact the Warriors took the field wearing pink socks.

It was the first time in 16 years the Warriors did not wear the traditional blue and white striped socks that only the Wilton varsity team is allowed to don during the season.

"Actually, we were just saying how we just played so amazing and we said it was the (pink) socks," said Noels. "(Coach Meredith Meyran) made a funny comment at practice when she said, 'Don't get too attached to those socks.'"

"They can wear the pink socks under the striped ones," Meyran quipped after the win.

Of course the real winner on Tuesday was the fight against cancer, something Noels knows too well.

Three of her four grandparents succumbed to the disease that touches everybody.

"Cancer runs in my family, but it wasn't just about that," said Noels, who scored a goal in the game. "It's such an honor to be able to raise money for such a special cause whle doing one of the things you love. I just wanted to use my sport to make a difference and get my teammates and community involved."

Don't think that Noels is just going to mail off a money order to the NFCR and be done with it, though.

Noels has big plans for the future of the fund-raising effort.

T-shirts have already been sold to the high school teams and the eighth grade travel squads, but Noels would like to see every youth team and player in her hometown wearing the T-shirts by the time the season is over.

"I'm going to be continuing to sell the shirts," she said. "We want to sell them to every single team and that's my job for the next few weeks."

Then comes the future.

"Field hockey has 'Play For The Cure' and that's a giant thing. It's County wide now," Noels said. "That's what we're hoping to do with 'Beat Cancer With a Stick.' We're hoping to get representatives from every school in Fairfield County to do what we did here."

Noels has her entire senior year to do just that, but she's not stopping their either.

It is her dream to see the fundraiser continue even beyond and she plans on handing over the reins to a Wilton senior, something that can be done every year in the future.

After all, Noels isn't thinking of the short term.

She's hoping to start a new tradition in Wilton and this year's first run -- complete with pink socks instead of the tradition-rich striped socks -- has gotten things off to a great start.